A Man Of Action
by ShellSueD
Summary: A new Rangeman, a dangerous FTA and a capture gone wrong make Stephanie realize sometimes talking isn't what's needed.


_Anything familiar belongs to Janet Evanovich. Mistakes are all mine._

Thank you, **_LilyGhost_** , for gifting me Valentine. :) And thanks in advance to all of you who are sticking with me through such long periods of not posting.

* * *

"Steph, you need to wake up."

His warm, soft lips touched mine and I pretended not to notice.

"Open your eyes, Babe."

I opened my mouth instead. "Why? What time is it?"

"You probably don't want to know."

"Then why do you want me to wake up?"

"Because you said you hate it when I leave without saying goodbye."

He kissed me again and this time I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer. I would have liked to have dragged him right back into his bed with me but that wasn't going to happen this time, apparently.

"I really have to go," he said after breaking the kiss, "but it's early so you can go back to sleep."

I've never been a morning person and anyone who knows me well will tell you the only way I'd ever become one is if it started around noon. I've discovered in my thirty plus years on this earth there are people who want to have full and very detailed conversations very early in the morning and I think it's okay to hurt those people.

The only exception would be Ranger. One, I don't think I could hurt him if I tried, and two, I never seem to mind if he wants to talk before normal people want to get out of bed. Of course, usually if it's that early in the morning, talking isn't the first thing on his mind, yet anything involving Ranger and any time of the day usually puts a smile on my face.

After the first time he woke me up, much earlier and for a _very_ different reason, and then after the sweet goodbye, that smile was going to be big today and people would probably notice.

"Whoa," Lula said a few hours later when I strolled into Vinnie's office with a box of doughnuts from the Tasty Pastry under my arm. "That is some grin. You get some Batman nookie last night?"

I had, and this morning too and would be getting lots of it for the foreseeable future but that was my business and I wasn't in the mood to share. "What? No. Why would you think that?"

"Because you could blind people with all those teeth you're showing," Connie chimed in, lifting her heavily lined eyes from the nail file shaping the claws at the end of her fingers. "That is definitely an _I got laid_ type of smile."

"I don't know what to tell you, I'm just happy today, that's all. One _can_ be happy without a Ranger-induced orgasm you know."

Lula snorted out a laugh from her prone position on the crappy couch. "Yeah, but nothing makes _you_ happier than being on the receiving end of the wizard's magic wand."

I was starting to think maybe I needed some new friends. Not being able to honestly deny Lula's comment, I chose distraction. After perching the doughnut box on the edge of Connie's cluttered desk, I resolutely changed the subject.

"Any files for me today? I could really use some cash." Rent was due in four days but there had been a significant drop in idiots jumping bail so I was getting dangerously close to having my bank account dip into double digit territory.

Connie made a face and handed me a folder. "Just one and it's small. Your cut is only 40 bucks." I sighed and flipped it open. It was Martha Simons again. She was 80 years old and had a habit of stealing pantyhose from JC Penney by smuggling them out in her bra. She'd never once made it out the door with her pilfered items and the loss prevention officer always called the cops on her but the Trenton PD had stopped arresting Martha a year ago. There must have been a rookie on the job that day.

She was an easy skip and always came with me willingly so this would be a piece of cake. My percentage of the bond would only buy me a few slices of said cake but it was better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick so I tucked the folder into my messenger bag and lifted the lid on the doughnuts. "I'll pick her up this afternoon. She'll be at the bingo hall with Grandma." I chose a maple bar and took a bite.

Vinnie poked his smarmy head out of his office and said, "If you would quit spreading your legs for Ranger and do your job, you might be able find Leo Fitz. _That_ bond is ten grand and he's been MIA for four weeks!" The door slammed and the little weasel engaged the deadbolt.

If I wasn't in such a good mood the comment about my legs and what I choose to do with them would have royally ticked me off but I'd stopped giving a shit about what my cousin says a long time ago. I shot Connie a look and she rolled her eyes. "He has the room bugged again." She reached under her desk and found the device attached to the bottom of her keyboard. After detaching it, she dropped it into a half-empty cup of coffee.

"How _is_ your granny?" Lula wanted to know. "She cause havoc at any viewings trying to get the lid up lately?

I was just about to tell her that not only was no one jumping bail, but no one had been dying much either when the door to the office opened and Ranger entered the space with one of the Rangeguys on his heels.

"Whoa," Lula whispered under her breath. "Who is _that_?" For the first time since I'd known her, she set her eyes on someone other than Ranger. Not that I could blame her, Valentine Alkaev was a sight to behold.

"Valentine," I informed her quietly. "He's new."

He'd shown up a few of months ago and it was clear he and Ranger had some sort of past but he never brought it up and I was too chicken to ask. He was hired on as one of Ranger's merry men so whatever it was couldn't be all that terrible.

The man was tall and by tall I mean professional basketball player tall. He had at least two inches on Tank's six foot four but the rest of him wasn't as wide. He was about as pale as Tank was dark, with blonde hair, wide eyes the color of blue ice and a well-muscled frame to rival anyone on Ranger's crew. His nose was on the broad side but had a cute button on the end and his cheekbones were sharp, which nicely contrasted with the slightly rounded jaw. There was a tiny dimple in the middle of his chin, his lips were full and well-defined and if he didn't have what I like to call _resting bitch face_ , he'd be even more attractive.

The height, the muscles and the constant scowl, which was often interpreted as annoyance or anger, made him an intimidating presence. Throw in the heavy Russian accent and he could cause most people to lose control of their bladders.

 _I_ thought he was adorable. Ranger had sent him with me on a couple of difficult captures and I found out pretty quickly he has a soft spot for animals, a wicked sense of humor and often slips into Russian when he can't remember what the equivalent word is in English. The last time I saw him I convinced him to teach me some Russian curse words.

 _"Nyet, nyet, Stefania. I could not,"_ he'd said with a laugh while shaking his head and then proceeded to tell me five of his favorites.

Mudak was the one I learned the fastest as it was easiest to pronounce and I also found out the same day that Ranger speaks Russian...or at least understands it. I mumbled the word, which translates to asshole in English, when we'd run into Morelli at Pino's and Ranger gave me the raised eyebrow thing when he heard it.

Valentine flirted with me over the top of Ranger's head with a quick wink and the man himself graced me with a minuscule lift of his lips before asking Connie if Vinnie was in.

"In his hole," she replied and added a tilt of her teased hair in that direction.

The two men disappeared into Vinnie's sanctuary and Connie glued her questioning eyes onto mine. "What's that all about? Ranger hasn't been in here about business in months and who's the tall drink of water with him?"

I chose to ignore the first question, partly because I didn't know the answer, but mostly because I was tired of everyone assuming because Ranger and I had gotten closer, I would know all of his secrets. There were some things I was sure I'd _never_ learn about the man of mystery.

"That's Valentine," I said. "He's new. And Russian."

"And hot as hell," Connie exclaimed.

"He's got nothing on Ranger," Lula commented, "but I wouldn't kick him out of bed for eating crackers."

"I wouldn't kick him out of bed for _any_ reason," Connie admitted.

"I really hope the one on your keyboard was the only bug in this room." I gave the cup, into which she'd deposited the offensive device, a pointed look.

They each clamped their lips shut and shot worried glances at the door to Vinnie's office.

"Stupid rat bastard," Connie mumbled as she searched her desk for any more.

We didn't say much more while Ranger was there for fear they could hear us so we munched on doughnuts in relative silence until the duo emerged a half an hour later.

Ranger had a file tucked under his arm and gestured for me to follow him outside, which I did, if only to avoid the awkward silence now permeating the office. Though, I'd probably follow him anywhere for no reason at all.

He took my hand and tugged me into the alley separating the office from the bookstore next door while Valentine continued to the black SUV parked at the curb. As soon as they'd come out of Vinnie's office I suspected he'd turned over the Fitz file to Ranger and got confirmation when I chanced a peek at the name on the folder.

"Fucking rat bastard," I mumbled. "He gave you my FTA? I needed that money."

Ranger gave me an almost smile. My foul mouth amused him sometimes. "I told you just last week I have a full-time position for you, which guarantees a steady stream of income, any time you want it."

"I know but…"

"How dire is your money situation?"

"Rent is due in a few days." I was sure Ranger probably knew my balance down to the measly penny, but I was still reluctant to admit _exactly_ how bad it was.

" _Babe_." He brushed his thumb across my cheek and then his lips over mine. "You have any leads?"

"Nope. The guy's a ghost."

He flipped open the file and skimmed the first couple of pages. "A dangerous ghost. I'll see what I can dig up and call if I find anything. If I do, we'll bring him in together."

If anyone could find the guy, it would be Ranger, but what little pride I have made my first instinct to be to turn him down, which I half-heartedly attempted.

"What would I owe you?"

For a second he looked mildly offended. "No price for what we give each other, Stephanie. Ever."

Yikes, my full name. That probably came out harsher than I'd intended.

"I know, I'm sorry, it's just…I don't want any special treatment because we're..."

He kissed me again, cutting off my misguided fear of taking advantage of his generosity because we were currently sharing a bed most nights.

"I do things for you because I _want_ to, not because I feel I _have_ to, and we're more than just sharing a bed, Babe," he added, reading my mind. "I'll call you."

And then he was gone and I was left to wonder how I got so freaking lucky.

That afternoon I swung by the bingo hall, said Hi to Grandma and then took Martha down to the station to be rebonded so I could collect my whopping 40 dollars. Part of me wanted to go home and take a nap after but felt I needed to do something in regards to Fitz, even though I knew Ranger was on it and probably already had a lead.

I made some phone calls, trying to get someone to give up his location, with no luck, and then paid a couple of relatives a visit, also ending in no joy. As a last resort, I went to see his mother again, even though the previous time I tried, she'd told me to go fuck myself and threw eggs at my car. I didn't think it was possible, but she was even less friendly the second time around.

It takes a certain kind of woman to call a fellow female the _'c'_ word but Marjorie Fitz said it and with enough venom I think it might have peeled some of the skin off my face. When she whipped out her double-barrelled shotgun, I decided I'd had enough for the day and headed home.

I fed Rex a few cheerios and a carrot when I arrived and took in the sorry state of my cupboards. Half a package of cherry Pop-tarts and a couple of slices left of a loaf of bread, which was starting to turn green with mold. The meager contents of the fridge weren't any more appealing and I made the decision right then to take the job Ranger had offered. As I wondered if I could sneak into my mother's kitchen and steal some leftovers without her noticing, my phone rang.

Hoping it was Ranger, I checked the display. I didn't recognize the number and I didn't recognize the voice when I answered, but what the stranger had to say immediately had all of my Spidey senses shifting into hyper-drive.

"You that bounty hunter? The one looking for Leo Fitz?"

"Yeah, that's me. Who are you and do you know where I can find him?"

"I might, what's in it for me?"

I'd made over a dozen phone calls today to known associates and paid a visit to his mother and a couple of cousins on his father's side and had been shot down every single time but now this guy was ready to talk? Way too easy.

"What do you want?"

"Money, sweet cheeks. That's what we all want, isn't it?" It was in my case, for sure. Sadly, I didn't have any money to give him, except for the cash I'd gotten for Martha.

"Don't suppose 40 bucks would do it, would it?"

"Are you shitting me?" He said with a half snort, half laugh.

"I wish I were." I sighed and prepared for the dial tone I was sure was coming.

"Jesus lady, you're pathetic. Look, I don't have time for this bullshit. If you want Fitz, you'll find him at the old abandoned button factory out on route 20. You know the place?"

I did know the place, but why the hell was he giving him up without getting something in return. This was starting to smell bad.

"Yeah, I do, but why…" And there was the dial tone. Something was definitely off about that whole conversation. I wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed but this screamed _set up_ to me.

There was no way I was going to check it out alone so I called Ranger immediately but it went right to voicemail.

"Shit," I muttered and then did what I tried not to do very often.

I was surprised when Lester answered the phone in the control room. He hardly ever sat monitor duty so I was guessing it was punishment for something. Les had a tendency to do stupid things that inevitably pissed off Ranger and then he would be reprimanded. Monitor duty was pretty mild though so it must not have been too bad.

"Hey gorgeous," he greeted when I announced myself. "What naughty thing can I help you with tonight?"

"You do know this is part of the reason why you get in trouble all the time, right? Ranger hates when you talk to me like that."

"I _do_ know, and that's what makes it fun." I could actually hear his grin over the phone but he grew serious quickly. "You okay?"

"Yeah, but I'm looking for Ranger. He's not answering his phone."

"Alright, let me take a look." There was some quick keyboard clicking before he said, "Ranger and Tiny checked in an hour ago. They're attempting to flush out a high bond FTA for Vinnie."

"I'll never understand why you all call Valentine Tiny; the man is a giant. I know about the skip, he was one of mine and I got a sketchy lead a few minutes ago and want to check it out, but not alone."

"Good girl," he said. "Give me a second and I'll try to reach him…and we call him Tiny for the irony factor and because he threatened to rip our arms out of our sockets and beat us to death with them if we made fun of his real name one more time."

I laughed and Lester put me on hold.

"No luck," he informed me a minute later. "Tiny isn't answering either. What do you want to do?"

I would always prefer to do these kinds of things with Ranger but I didn't want to blow it if this was a legit tip so I asked if anyone was available to ride with me right away. "Hector and Zip, or Hal and Cal?"

"Nope, they're on detail tonight and I can't pull them off and Tank's in Boston but I can give you Ramon and Bones, you cool with them?"

I didn't know either of them all that well but I'd take what I could get. "Yep, oh and one more thing… I'm stuck with big blue right now so..."

"I love that car, it's a classic," he interjected and I rolled my eyes. I would _never_ understand the fascination with the behemoth gas guzzler.

"Yes but it's also conspicuous as hell."

I'll send the guys to pick you up in a fleet vehicle. They'll be there in less than thirty."

"You're the best Les, thanks, and..."

"I know I am and yes, I'll keep trying Ranger. Text the location and I'll make sure he knows where you are."

While I waited for my substitute Rangemen, I did something else I also tried not to do very often. I retrieved my gun from the cookie jar and made sure it was fully loaded.

Twenty-five minutes went by before a quiet knock sounded on my door. Bones was standing on the other side when I opened it and he gave me a curt nod. "You ready?"

Bones, as far as I could tell, was the oldest man on Ranger's crew and had no discernible sense of humor. His dark hair was liberally streaked with gray and his equally dark eyes were surrounded by a web of weathered wrinkles. I thought he wouldn't be half-bad to look at if he'd only smile once in a while. He didn't even crack a grin when I called shotgun after we reached the SUV parked in front of my building.

Ramon was waiting behind the wheel and at least _he_ smiled at me before getting right down to business. "Tell me about the tip you got."

I relayed the conversation I'd had and Ramon's iron-gray eyes narrowed with each sentence. "That stinks," he uttered bluntly as he maneuvered us to our ultimate destination. "Especially since Ranger got the same exact call."

A feeling of unease trickled down my spine. "What the hell are we walking into, Ramon?"

"Nothing good."

"Ranger's already there, isn't he?"

"They're doing recon on the building before we get there."

I really didn't expect any less. My only fear was of the building blowing up with him in it while he was more than likely making sure it was safe before I arrived.

"Does Rangeman, by chance, have bomb-sniffing dogs?" I asked, half-kidding, so I wasn't expecting the answer.

"Not yet, but it's in the works. Has this FTA used explosives in the past? I don't remember seeing anything except guns listed in the file."

Yeah, and a boatload of those. I hoped this vehicle came equipped with some spare Kevlar. "Not that I've heard, but stuff does tend to explode around me from time to time."

The bark of laughter from the back seat had me twisting around to make sure it had really come from Bones. I guess he finds some things funny after all.

"We're here," Ramon announced twenty minutes later but when I peered out the windshield, all I could pick out was a whole lot of nothing. "Almost," he clarified when I gave him two raised brows. "We go the rest of the way on foot to the rendezvous point."

"Great," I said through a giant sarcastic smile. "I've been thinking I should get more exercise." Bones laughed again as Ramon brought the SUV to a stop and I shot him another look. There was obviously more to him than I realized. I think after this is over I'm going to have to buy the man a beer and see if I can get him to say more than three words at a time.

We were parked in a partially concealed clearing off route 20 and I watched anxiously as Ramon and Bones strapped on their Kevlar and did the mandatory weapons check. I felt like an idiot for only bringing my Colt, but with a bunch of Rangemen as back-up it was doubtful I'd need a full utility belt. "Are there any spare vests?" I asked of Ramon as he yanked the strap on his, securing it to his chest.

He shook his head. "Ranger will have something for you, but don't worry; we won't let anything happen to you." Hefting his rifle, he gave the order to move out.

Trekking through the dark and creepy woods wasn't high on my list of loved activities but what was I going to do? Wimping out at this point wasn't an option so I quickly found myself behind Ramon with Bones at my back as we picked our way to the area designated by Ranger. I'd be lying if I said the rifle Ramon was carrying didn't make me wish I had one, not that I'd have any clue how to use it, but since Bones was also heavily armed, I felt pretty safe between them and didn't even flinch when a branch grazed across my face, taking some of my cheek with it.

Fighting every instinct I had to fill the silence, I kept my mouth shut as we hiked. Just as I was starting to wonder exactly how far we were from the old factory, Ramon paused in front of me and raised a closed fist. I held my breath, listening for whatever had brought him to a stop and then almost came out of my skin when four shadows emerged from behind a tightly-grouped crop of trees.

Valentine was easy to spot as he towered over everyone else, but only because I was familiar with every inch of him was I able to pick out Ranger from the other two. Between the pitch black of the forest and the camouflage they were sporting, it wasn't until we were all up close and personal, I recognized Manny and Junior.

They were outfitted identically and thankfully I realized the black blob in Ranger's hand was a spare Kevlar vest. He used my wrist to pull me close and we locked eyes in the darkness of the night. "You sure you want to do this?"

I wasn't, not at all, but knowing the six of them would be doing their best to not let anything bad go down, I felt less nervous than I should have.

"You bet! I mean, what could be more fun on a Friday night then storming an abandoned warehouse with a bunch of mercenaries?" It was too dark to see but I was sure he was lifting an eyebrow.

He helped me into the vest and tried to give me one more opportunity to sit on the sidelines. "Would it make a difference if I told you _I_ didn't want you to do this?"

"It _does_ make a difference but I'm going anyway. I already got my boots dirty hiking through the woods and I wouldn't have any idea how to get back to the car anyway."

Ranger yanked on the strap, making it a little too snug against my chest. "I can send Bones back with you."

I grabbed onto his forearm when he reached for the second strap. "Are _you_ worried?" If _he_ was worried maybe I needed to rethink my decision.

"I'm always _concerned_ when you're involved, Steph. I have a vested interest in keeping you out of harm's way." He lightly touched his lips to mine and simultaneously secured the remaining strap of my Kevlar.

"Stick close to Valentine," he whispered against my ear and then gave the order to move out to the rest of the crew.

Doing as he instructs, especially in these type of situations is always a good idea so I glued myself to Valentine as we made our way to the building.

Being within sight of Ranger always made me feel more confident so I started getting a little anxious when the team split up. There were two entrances to the warehouse and Ranger, Manny and Junior took the east while the rest of us entered through the west. The plan was for the two teams to clear their respective sides and meet in the middle.

The feeling of unease grew when every room we entered was empty. My fear of the place exploding was starting to feel like a real possibility…otherwise why lure us out to a deserted building, just for shits and giggles? I began checking the corners of the ceiling looking for cameras, thinking someone _must_ be watching.

"Valentine," I said quietly as we cleared the last room on our side. "This doesn't feel right; I think we should get out of here."

"Da, Stefania. This is no good. We find Ranger and go now."

At least it wasn't just me feeling the bad mojo. We came around the corner at the end of a long hallway which connected the offices to the vast open area of the warehouse. I was sure this is where the button making had happened but the place had been stripped clean. The only remnants of its previous use were the faint scents of oil and plastic and the marks on the cement floor where enormous machines used to reside.

Valentine swiped his flashlight across the space just as Ranger and his team entered from the opposite side and I got a glimpse of his grim demeanor. They had obviously come up with nothing as well and he was unhappy about it.

"Anything?" Ramon called to the group from behind me.

"The place is a ghost town," Manny replied.

"We need to get out of here," Ranger added and I breathed a sigh of relief.

My respite was short-lived; there was a sharp banging noise just before the room lit up in a hail of gunfire. I reached for my Colt, but it was too late. Valentine enveloped me inside his embrace, shielding me with the mass of his torso as his arms came around my back and he lifted me off my feet.

He moved quicker than a man his size should be able to, carrying me out of the line of fire, and shoved me into the first office we came to. "Get down and stay here," he barked and yanked the door closed.

Half of me wanted to scream at him not to leave and the other half wanted to follow him back out but my survival instincts kicked in and I knew I'd be safer cowering in the corner of the abandoned room.

I didn't know much about guns but it sure sounded like there were a million of them being fired. Covering my ears, I squeezed my eyes shut and said a prayer to the god I wasn't sure I really believed in to ask him not to let anyone end up dead.

It felt like an eternity before the noise stopped and when it finally did, I think I was more scared of the silence than anything else.

I counted slowly to one hundred, something Ranger taught me, before I dared to tentatively stick my head out the door. It was black as pitch but the urgency in the voices I heard when the door was open had me forgoing all sense of self-preservation.

I couldn't tell who was who as the terrifying phrases echoed in the empty space.

" _We need ambulances at 1257 Pike Road off route 20. Multiple gunshot wounds."_

" _Give me your shirt, we need to try and stop the blood loss."_

" _He dove in front of me. He fucking dove in front of me. I'd be dead otherwise. Jesus Christ."_

There was only one man I knew who would purposely put himself in front of a moving bullet to save someone else.

I broke into a run.

The abandoned flashlights, still lit but dropped on the floor, gave me a path as I rounded the corner. "Ranger?" I called as I ran, silently begging him to answer me. _"Ranger!"_

" _Valentine!"_ Someone barked and massive arms snagged me around the waist, halting me mid-stride.

"What the hell? Let me go!" I struggled against his grip but it wouldn't be broken.

"No, Stefania. You shouldn't see this." Valentine held me against his chest and I started calculating which of his body parts I could reach that would cause the most pain.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but if you don't let me go you're going to lose a testicle."

He peered down at me with his icy blue eyes and quickly assessing the serious nature of my statement, let out a sigh of resignation and released me from his iron hold.

" _Tiny,"_ someone chastised, probably Manny, and I ran toward the sound of his voice.

"You know how she gets," he responded as if I couldn't hear every word. I dropped to my knees when I reached his side and tried not to completely lose my shit.

It was too dark to see where all the blood was coming from. Manny's hands and forearms were coated in it as he pressed what had to be Ramon's shirt to the wound. Ramon was bare-chested as he attended to Junior, who apparently had also been hit.

The tears were coming but I tried fighting them off by asking questions. "What the hell happened and how bad is it?"

"Here, give me your hand." He grabbed my fingers and pressed my palm into the mass of material on Ranger's neck. "Keep pressure on it. The round went in just above the edge of his vest."

"He's going to be okay, right?" I couldn't even think about the alternative and Manny paused a beat too long before he answered.

"Yes, but he needs a hospital."

"They're on the way," Bones informed us. "I can hear the sirens."

"How's Junior?" I called to Ramon.

"I'm fine," the man himself answered. "It's just a scratch." It should have been comforting but the thing about the Rangeguys was they _always_ said that. They could have a limb amputated and they'd say it was just a scratch. But at least he was talking; it was more than I could say about Ranger.

I looked down at him and the blood-soaked shirt, knowing it was definitely more than a scratch. "Somebody talk to me, please. What happened?"

"They were hiding in an underground bunker. It wasn't notated on the blueprints of the building so we were unaware of its existence."

The use of the word _'they'_ made my eyes travel to the extra bodies in the room I hadn't wanted to notice before. The light in the building was for shit but I could make out four motionless black mounds of material, one within touching distance.

"Are they all…"

"Not sure, but this one is." Manny gestured to the body beside us. "Ranger snapped his neck right after he took the round that otherwise would have ended up in Bones' skull."

"I still can't believe he did that," Bones muttered from somewhere.

"This one is still breathing," Valentine commented from a few feet away. "I believe he is the one we were after." He used the steel-enforced toe of his boot to turn the body over and Leo Fitz let out a painful groan. "We get body receipt, alive or dead, da?" He lifted his Glock and trained it on Fitz's forehead.

"Yes," I agreed. "But leave him. I want him rotting in a cell forever for this."

"That's better than he deserves, Steph. You should let Tiny send him right to hell where he belongs," Ramon said as he tied a piece of Junior's shirt around the wound on his arm.

"Maybe, but…"

"Babe." Ranger's weak and raspy interruption made the tears I'd been fighting break free. "Are you hurt?"

"What?" I replied and squeezed his hand with my free one. "Are you crazy? I'm fine; you're the one who's hurt."

"It's just a scratch," he responded automatically and I almost laughed. "I just need a band-aid and..."

"Ranger?" I shot a look at Manny.

"He's passed out again," he said and felt for his pulse. "Shit. Why isn't Bobby here? Bones, what's the ETA on the ambulance?"

"They're here," he called back and there was a flurry of activity as multiple EMT's flooded room. Ranger was loaded onto a stretcher and carried outside.

I followed them out with Valentine on my heels. "Where are you taking him, St Francis? Can I ride in there with him?" I asked as he was slid into the back.

The young EMT, with a white pixie cut and sparkling green eyes looked at me over her shoulder and was about to respond when her partner yelled, "Let's go!"

"St Francis," she confirmed and climbed inside. The doors closed and the ambulance sped away.

I spun around to my shadow. "I need to go. _Now._ "

"I know. Come with me." Valentine took off in the same direction as the ambulance and I chased after him, the loose gravel crunching loudly under each step.

"What about the rest of the guys? And slow down, your legs are twice the size of mine."

He whipped around and scooped me up, dropping me over his shoulder. "They are okay, Ranger is..."

"Don't say it. Don't you _dare_ say it. Just hurry." Valentine broke into a run and a few minutes later, loaded me into the passenger seat of the black SUV they'd obviously arrived in earlier.

He got us to the hospital in record time and I accosted the clerk at the check-in desk for information, which he was reluctant to give as I wasn't family. Luckily Valentine was with me and with one look from him, I learned Ranger had been taken immediately into surgery and we were directed to the waiting room.

I was not good at waiting but Valentine was there to keep me in check.

"Bobby is on his way," he informed me and pressed a cup of coffee into my bloody hands. "Sit."

The chairs weren't comfortable but I did as instructed. "Shouldn't we have heard something by now?" I queried and burnt my tongue on the scalding caffeine.

"It's only been five minutes, Stefania." He replied patiently.

"Yeah, okay." I drank more coffee and tried not to think about what might happen. Life without Ranger wasn't something I was willing to accept so he would be fine. _He had to be._

Word spread quickly and a plethora of Rangeguys started to appear until the entire waiting room was a sea of men in black.

When we described Ranger's injury as best as we could to Bobby, he seemed confident it wasn't fatal and that should have made me feel better but the more I was told not to worry, the more anxious I became until I had to leave or I'd start screaming and maybe never stop.

I slipped away to the bathroom and as soon as the door closed, the tears started again in earnest. That and my bloody hands scared off the two women who came in after me and I was grateful I could be a basket case without any judgment.

A significant amount of time must have gone by while I was trying to pull myself together because Valentine burst through the door, ducking to avoid knocking his skull on the jamb. He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at the sight of me but then a dark blonde eyebrow rose in trepidation.

Taking my hand, he pulled me over to the row of sinks lining the back wall and I realized what his look had been about as I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirrors. In my attempt to keep the tears at bay, I'd smeared Ranger's blood all over my face. No wonder no one came into the bathroom after the initial two women had tried. I was a complete mess.

Valentine turned on a tap, letting it run until steam started rising and then gently and thoroughly cleaned my face and hands. When he had me looking normal and not like I'd been recently attacked by a psychopath, he pulled a Rangeman t-shirt out of his pocket and sent me into a stall to change out of the bloody one I was wearing.

"Better," he said with a little half grin when I came out and I burst into tears again. He wrapped me in a hug until I stopped sobbing and then told me I needed air and led me outside. We found unoccupied benches in front of the emergency room entrance and he filled the space beside me, draping his arm across my shoulders as we stared out into the dark of night.

He was a lot like Ranger in the fact he didn't say very much so I was surprised when after only a minute or two, his deep voice rumbled out an unexpected question.

"Has Ranger ever told you how we met?" He said it casually and I stilled beside him. Under other circumstances it would have been a normal question but what I'd learned after spending so much time around Ranger and his men was they were far from normal. It felt like I was about to get some unsolicited information and that was unprecedented. Most of the Rangemen were the silent type, with the exception of Santos. I knew _way_ more than I wanted to about Lester.

"Uh, no. Ranger isn't really the sharing type, if you hadn't noticed." Valentine smiled, briefly erasing the perpetual scowl.

"A man of few words."

"But lots of action," I countered.

"Da," he agreed as the smile slowly faded from his lips. His cool eyes left mine, focusing on something off in the distance I couldn't see.

He was quiet for several beats and I thought that was all I was going to get out of him but Valentine was full of surprises tonight.

"Ranger has scar on his lower right abdomen; you are familiar, Da?"

I had no idea how to respond to that and I have no idea how long it took me to finally say, "Umm, yeah, but should I be worried that _you_ are too?"

Valentine laughed out loud. "You have much humor, Stefania."

"Yep, I'm freaking hilarious. Are you going to tell me or should I continue picturing you and Ranger in various compromising positions?"

That got me a double eyebrow raise. "Later we will discuss your fetish but now...Ranger has that scar because of me."

It wasn't an insignificant mark on his otherwise perfect skin and I'd asked about it once or twice but he was always vague on the details. By the sudden haunted shadow behind Valentine's eyes, I was guessing the reason was nothing less than horrible.

The following was a story I'd never forget.

"When I was born, my father was a high ranking official with the SVR." At my questioning expression, he explained. "It would be, what is the word… _equivalent_ to your CIA." I nodded and he continued.

"My Father, he was...a _difficult_ man and in his position had occasion to make many an enemy. As my brother and I grew, he made sure we knew how to protect ourselves…and him. First in the Armed Forces and later, the Spetsnaz."

Apparently I needed to go back to school as I had no clue about the Spetsnaz and asked him to elaborate.

"It would be like Army special forces."

"Oh…Ranger was special forces."

Valentine nodded. "That and more. It was against protocol, but as I said, my Father's position gave allowances which otherwise wouldn't be tolerated so Alexei and I were assigned to his protection detail."

"Alexei is your brother?"

"He _was_ , da."

"Oh shit, I'm sorry," I said. "What happened?"

He let out a breath and raked his fingers through his closely cropped hair. It was obviously a painful memory and I immediately felt guilty for asking. "You don't have to tell me, I shouldn't have even…"

"It's okay, I started it and I finish. Do you know Russian history?"

"To be honest, I'm not even confident about _American_ history."

That got me a small smile. "After the collapse of Soviet Union, there was a group who opposed the new _semi-democratic_ government. My Father was the… _leader_ of that group and spent a great deal of money and power trying to restore communism. In the process, he lost a lot of allies and gained many enemies. By the time Alexei and I were of age, there had been over a dozen attempts on his life and just when my brother had graduated from the academy, one of my Father's closest confidants uncovered yet another assassination plot against him. This wasn't an unusual occurrence, but for the first time in my recollection, my father seemed frightened.

The assassin was known only as the Ghost. No one, to our knowledge, had ever laid eyes on him but we did know he had never failed on an accepted contract. It worried him and my Father went into hiding, taking Alexei and me and a handful of other trusted soldiers with him.

We spent many months deep in the forest of Siberia and I thought I was going to go insane from the isolation and having to constantly be on alert for a possible attack. On the night I finally worked up the courage to tell him I couldn't take anymore, the property was breached."

"Oh crap," I interjected and realized I was biting my nails.

"No, not yet," Valentine said with a shake of his head. "Two men bypassed the electrified security fence, the five heavily armed and expertly trained guards patrolling the property borders and the dozen guard dogs surrounding the house and entered my Father's study without any of us inside realizing they were there. I don't know which was more shocking, their arrival or the grin on my Father's face at the sight of them. He obviously knew they were coming and I was quickly introduced to Marc Pardo and the biggest black man I'd ever seen, who went only by the name Oso."

Even the hand I slapped over my mouth couldn't muffle the gasp of surprise.

"Ahh, you have heard the names before."

Words had completely failed me so I only nodded. I'd been expecting Ranger to show up at some point in the story but truthfully I thought he would have been the killer. I didn't think I would ever completely know every aspect of his past so finding out he was a deadly assassin wouldn't have shocked me.

"As fate would have it," Valentine continued, "My Father didn't completely trust the team he'd brought with him to keep him alive and had hired Mr. Pardo to find any weaknesses in his defense."

"Apparently there were a lot," I said.

"Da. The next two weeks were spent being retrained by them but it turned out to not be enough." He looked away from me again and I braced myself for the bad stuff.

"Alexei was the first to die." His voice cracked on his brother's name and I bit back the tears once again threatening to fall. I took his hand in mine and waited until he was together enough to continue.

"He was my little brother and I was supposed to protect him. All these years later and I still wonder what would have happened if I wouldn't have let him patrol that night. Maybe he would be here with me now instead of buried in an unmarked grave in the middle of the Siberian forest."

I squeezed his fingers and dropped my head onto his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Val."

He shook his head and finished the story. "I took two rounds in the chest trying to get my Father out of the house and was sure we would suffer the same fate as Alexei…and then _he_ appeared out of nowhere. His dark skin and dark hair so out of place in the frozen Russian landscape.

I was sure it was a dream…or an hallucination but the vision was real...the lifeline I needed to get out of there. Even after getting shot himself, he carried me through the freezing snow nearly two miles to where an extraction team was waiting. To this day, I don't know why he returned but he did and he is the only reason I sit here beside you now."

"Did you ever ask him why he came back?"

"Many times."

"What does he say when you ask?"

Valentine laughed. "What do _you_ think?"

"Nothing. He says absolutely nothing or he changes the subject. Ranger is quite excellent at deflection."

"You know him well."

Now I laughed. "Sometimes. But most of the time I don't think I know him at all."

"Often, actions speak much louder than words."

"True. Is that why you told me this story?"

"Da. And so you know he's been through much worse than this."

My response was halted by Bobby's voice, calling to me from the entrance door. "Steph! He's asking for you."

"Go," Valentine said, shooing me off with a wave of his massive hand. I squeezed his shoulder in thanks and headed inside.

"He's fine," Bobby responded to my questioning look as he dropped his arm across my shoulders and we made our way down the long corridor leading to where Ranger was recovering.

I must have made a skeptical noise because he followed it up with, "It was way worse than it looked. The biggest issue was blood loss from a nicked artery. They stitched him up and gave him some new blood but now the problem is he wants to be released and they won't let him go until his body regenerates some more so he's pissed. The nurses are hoping you'll calm him down or they'll have to restrain him and we all know how badly that will end for everyone."

We stopped in front of a closed door and Bobby's lifted his arm. "Okay, this is it. And make it quick if you can because Trenton PD is here and they want your statement. Good luck!" He stepped away from me and I called to his quickly retreating frame.

"Hold on, you're not going in with me?"

He grinned at me over his shoulder but didn't quit walking away. "Hell no. I'm not feeling at all suicidal today."

"Chicken!" I yelled as he disappeared around the corner.

I took a breath and peered into the tiny window above the door's handle but couldn't see or hear anything and didn't know if that was a good sign or not. Fortunately, if he was wreaking havoc in there, I knew the exact thing which would distract him from his current situation.

Slipping my hand into my pocket, I closed my fingers around the cool metal of the ring I'd been carrying around since he'd presented it to me several weeks before. As it did the first time, and every time I've looked at it since, the size nearly took my breath away.

It was unique in the way it had connecting rows of small diamonds which formed matching Vs under the large cushion cut stone. Diamonds also circled the, I was guessing, three carat centerpiece before continuing down around the platinum band. No matter from where the light originated, it sparkled to maximum effect.

After another calming breath, I slid the engagement ring onto the third finger of my left hand and entered the hospital room.

The first thing that stopped the words on my tongue was the sight of Ranger on his feet and the second was the deathly paleness to his normally dark caramel skin. There was also a bright white bandage covering most of his neck, an IV dangling from his arm and an exasperated nurse who looked like she wished she had a taser…or a gun, trying to get him back into the bed.

"This is how it's going to be," he said to her in a tone of voice I instantly recognized. "You're going to get me some clothes and the paperwork I need to sign myself out of here in the next ten seconds or I'm going to _make_ you and neither one of us wants that to happen, right?"

I'd been on the receiving end of that calm, cold and calculated demeanor exactly twice and I may have wet myself a little both times so the fact this poor woman seemed to be holding her own against the force that was Ranger made me respect the hell out of her.

"Can't you stop being bossy for one second?" I said into the room and his head whipped around so quickly I thought for sure he would topple over. The fact I'd entered the space without his knowledge was a testament to the fact he should not be leaving the hospital this soon. Normally he would have known I was coming before I ever reached the door.

His penetrating dark eyes swept from my head to my toes, I was sure scanning for injuries. They hesitated for a beat on the sparkles coming from my left hand before turning to the nurse he'd been harassing. "Leave," he said coldly and I had to hold back a massive eye roll.

The redhead, who after a quick glance at the tag affixed to her scrubs, I learned was named Alicia, dropped her jaw open with incredulity.

"What he meant to say," I intervened, "is thank you, Alicia, for taking such good care of me and I'm sorry for being a stubborn, difficult, annoying pain in your ass but will you please give us a moment of privacy?"

"You're Stephanie," she stated.

"Guilty as charged."

"Good, because I really don't get paid enough for this. He's a lunatic."

"Among other things," I agreed. "But if you give me a few minutes, I promise to get him back in that bed and I'll make sure he lets you do your job."

"This I gotta see," she said with a tone of disbelief but left us and I turned back to my lunatic.

Come here," he said gruffly, holding open his arms and I walked into his enveloping embrace. "They told me you were fine but..."

"You had to see for yourself," I finished. Knowing what he was going to say was easy this time because I felt the same way.

"Yes." He squeezed me tighter to his chest and planted a soft kiss in the curly mess of my hair.

"Great, now that we both know the other is okay, you can get your perfect ass back in that bed and rest until the people with medical degrees agree you can be released."

"I know my body," he said as he loosened his hold on me, "and I don't need to stay."

My head tilted up so I could give him my best effort at a stern glare, which I knew would have no effect.

"Yeah, well _I_ need you to," I insisted, pointing at the mattress. "So for once you aren't getting your way."

He lifted an eyebrow, yet climbed back into the bed, giving me a full view of his aforementioned keister by way of the open-at-the-back hospital gown. That butt should really be an exhibit at the Smithsonian.

I yanked the blanket up to his chest as he settled his head on the pillow and he took hold of my hand. "Looks like I'll be getting want I want in one regard," he murmured, stroking his thumb over the huge diamond. "This is... _unexpected_. You're sure now?"

I met his piercing gaze for a beat before leaning over and softly kissing him before answering. "I was always sure."

The skeptical expression made me smile. I hadn't said yes when he'd asked but I hadn't said no either. I'd told him I wasn't ready yet but that hadn't exactly been the truth either. I'd known since the day I met him this is where I wanted us to end up but I wanted to make sure he knew exactly what he was getting into by choosing me.

"I needed to know _you_ were sure before you hitched yourself to my crazy train."

His warm hand found its way to my face where it gently cupped my cheek. "There was never a question for me, Babe."

Now it was my turn to be skeptical. "How is that even possible?"

His very kissable lips kicked up at the corners. "I knew the day we met, the second you didn't fall for my bullshit, that I'd found my better half."

I couldn't help but remember all the times he'd unequivocally told me he wasn't marriage material and told him so. "You sure had a funny way of showing it."

"I made a lot of mistakes," he agreed.

"Me too," I interjected, to be fair. "Among them not saying yes the second you asked and dragging you immediately to the courthouse."

He traced his thumb softly under my eye. "No more mistakes, from either of us. And no more fighting the fact we belong together."

I agreed by way of a long, sensuous kiss, which was highly inappropriate for the current setting, and broke away before I crawled into the bed with him and got _really_ indecent.

"You know if you'd let me out of here, we could be married and starting our honeymoon in under an hour."

Letting out a laugh, I dragged a chair I found in the corner over to the side of the bed. When he didn't laugh too, I looked up and found his serious face.

"You're not joking."

"I know a judge who owes me a favor."

"Of course you do. Is there a pilot who owes you a favor too and can fly us to Tahiti in his private jet?"

"Yes."

I really shouldn't be surprised but felt my mouth fall open. "You're still being serious."

"Always. Especially about finally making you mine." He took the hand I had resting next to him on the bed and laced our fingers together before bringing the massive rock on my finger to his lips for a kiss.

It was just a small, sweet gesture but I knew in that moment Valentine was right. Actions did speak louder than words and though sometimes the words Ranger said didn't fill me with confidence about the state of our relationship, his actions always did. He'd been telling me for years how he felt…I just didn't pay close enough attention.

I would make sure that didn't happen again. Ever. "Tomorrow," I said. "After you have been _officially_ discharged. And I was serious about Tahiti."

His smile was as big as mine as his disgruntled nurse came back into the room.

* * *

 _AN: Thanks also to LilyGhost for writing the description of the ring. ;)_


End file.
